Coor'a'shae
by mackimus
Summary: Prologue


Knights of the Forest/Coor'a'shae  
  
The moon was full, in a cloudless sky, the stars twinkling brightly. The village wasn't a big one, it was moderate in size, and on this night it was busy. A child was being born, and when a child is born, the people celebrate. A child's birth was always something to celebrate, one for the birth, but also for the chance of a Coor'a'Shae, or in the common tongue, Knights of the Forest being born.  
  
The Knights, as they were commonly called, were people who acted very much like mercenaries, except they always fought for the good. Never had they ever taken a job to kill, only to protect. The birth of a Knight was always something hoped for, and was always considered special. Not anyone was just picked. A certain spirit aura, one of a good nature, found at birth is what determines the qualification as a knight. The child is then taken away from the parents to be raised as a Knight. The parents usually didn't mind giving up there children, thinking it for the greater good.  
  
There was a crowd around the house. The house was of Mirotai. Mirotai was a famous Knight who had fought evil beasts in the forest of Liko. The village had many famous Knights come out of it, thus it was regarded as Knights Village.  
  
The whispers were non-stop, of what it might be, if the child would be stronger than his famous father. This bloodline had always produced a Knight, so no one thought that there was a chance it might not be one.  
  
The priest came out of the house, the child in his arms. The crowd silences, all I eyes on the two. The priest raised the child and shouted the word everyone expected. "KNIGHT!" the priest shouted and the crowd cheered. Music started from somewhere down the street and some ran off and started dancing...  
  
Mirotai came out of the house and looked at the child. He could sense the child's heart, the good that was able to grow there. He could also sense the power the child might be able to attain one day. He smiled, knowing that the child would be stronger than him one day.  
  
Inside the house his wife Carrie, was getting dressed. The potion the doctor had given her had restored her stamina. She went to her night table, and took out the locket there. It was a present for her new born son. Inside was a picture of herself and her husband, so that the child knew who to look for that one day he became a knight, and allowed to go out in the world.  
  
She ran out of the room, down the stairway and out through the door into the street. Her husband was just outside the doorway, shaking the hands of those congratulating him on the birth of his new son and of him being eligible of becoming a Knight. She went by his side, placing her hand on his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"What shall we name him, Miro."  
  
Mirotai looked into her eyes, knowing what she wanted. "We'll name him after your grandfather."  
  
A smiled blossomed on her face. Her grandfather had been a kind man and always up to the challenge that life put in front of him, it was a good choice. "Then Mackimus de Mirotai it is. Thank you Miro, it means a lot to me" She handed over the locket to Mirotai.  
  
Mirotai concentrated his spiritual energies and placed his finger on the locket. The locket started to glow a light blue, and slowly the golden metal started to change. Letter by letter the name "Mackimus" slowly appeared on the locket.  
  
He walked over to the priest, and looked him in the eye. "For my son, to know who to look for when he goes out searching."  
  
The priest nodded and took the locket, slipping it around the child's neck. "I will take him now. We head off to east to Tremlee. He will be well trained there."  
  
All Mirotai did was nod and smile. The priest was right. He would be well trained in the capital. He looked over to his wife, knowing she somewhat regretted this. She wished that she could raise this child herself, that she could share the joys of life with him. She also knew that, later on, there would be enough time to do that. They both watched as the carriage rode off, with six elite guards riding beside it on both sides.  
  
Mirotai looked at his wife and saw the tears that were forming there. He hugged her close, kissing her forehead. "We shall go see the child as soon as possible. He should be strong by then. Think I should ask him to duel? Or do you believe I will be utterly defeated?"  
  
Carrie looked at him and smiled. He was the only person who could ever do that, make her smile when all she felt like doing was crying. "Miro, I think we both know you don't stand a chance." They both shared a chuckle, and started for inside.  
  
An explosion was heard from the south of the village. Not only that, but screams were heard as well. Mirotai looked at his wife and kissed her, this being the last time they ever did so.  
  
He ran off, mind-calling his Companion, a griffon named Heart Shaker. A screech was heard in the air behind him and he stopped dead and turned around. He looked up into the sky and saw a magnificent white dragon flying through the air. He had seen it once before and knew it to belonged to a Knight named Ahrik. He smiled seeing that dragon, knowing that if this was an attack they would surely win.  
  
He turned ready to head to into battle at the southern side when a thought came upon him. 'What was Ahrik doing here?' He turned back once more and saw the reason for the dragon's appearance.  
  
The dragon flew around the village, bashing his tail through house after house and it was blowing its mighty ice breath, freezing people where they stood.  
  
Mirotai was shocked at what he was seeing, almost not believing that this was happening. But it was right before his eyes, so it must be true. A Knight, who stands for all things goes and who fights in the name of the light, had turned dark. It was rare for a Knight to do so, and only mentioned a few times in history. The Black Knight, a bringer of war and death.  
  
He saw the dragon turn towards him and he was frozen still. It didn't notice him, but just the presence of this rare beast was oddly frightening. The dragon soared through the air bashing the houses and toppling them down, screeching out its battle roar. That roar made Mirotai tremble. He had never before heard a beast's roar that sounded like it wanted more death and blood.  
  
He looked at the street and the people there. The baker and his wife were running, holding each other up, blood streaking down both of thee faces. He saw a mother holding a child, running with everything she had.  
  
Finally he saw his wife, on the ground trying to get up, but unable to. He saw a shadow come over her and he looked up to see the dragon. He tried to yell out a warning, but couldn't knowing what was coming. He started to run to her, watching as the dragons tail smashed into his home, the same home passed down since his father and his father's father. In that moment time seemed to slow for him as his house was ripped apart by the dragon's tail, and as the house slowly leaned out, tipping over. He felt tears run down his face as the house slowly fell and crashed down his wife. He stopped running and fell to his knees, unbelieving at what he had seen. His love, his one true love was dead. He let out an animalistic howl.  
  
The dragon turned at this sound of grief, loving the essence of pain he got from it. Mirotai got up and stared at the dragon coming towards him. Hew was not sure what he wanted more, to die and join his love in paradise or to get his revenge on this foul beast and its master. The dragon unleashed its ice breath, freezing the area around Mirotai and flying past him. Mirotai was not frozen though, he had used his spiritual aura as a shield. He might not be able to kill this thing, but he was sure as hell going to hurt it.  
  
He ran to the closest building climbing up onto the roof. He ran from roof top to roof top, watching as the dragon flew through the village destroying it. At some points on his climb he came to a point where he had to use his spiritual energies to give his legs strength to jump to a house that he wouldn't have been able to reach normally.  
  
Finally he saw his opportunity to strike come. The dragon turned roaring mightily feeding off the fear essence the villages people. More than half the village was in ruins, and the dragon wanted nothing standing left. He turned and saw something peculiar. A human running from roof to roof...The dragon beat is great white wings, moving towards the human.  
  
Mirotai saw the dragon approach, and gathered his spiritual energy in his hand. He jumped off the roof, right into the maw of the dragon. The dragon's mouth opened, ready to eat Mirotai in one bite. His hand shot out letting loose the energy held there but the dragon say it coming and moved to the side. The fatal blow missed but the shot didn't miss completely. The energy had stricken the dragon across the face and over the eye, leaving it badly burned and bleeding. The Dragon roared in rage, spinning and lashing out with his tail, hitting Mirotai fully in the chest.  
  
Mirotai chest caved in, ribs snapping from the intense hit. He soared up into the sky, over the town with the wind rushing passed him. He started to fall, seeing the ground slowly coming to meet him.  
  
'Is this where I die? Is this how I die? Not to see my son grow up? But to leave this existence with my wife dead and my home burnt down to the ground?'  
  
He saw the ground coming closer and closer. He was about to hit it, but then talons griped onto his shoulders and lifted him, landing him gently onto the ground. He looked at his savior and smiled, it was his animal compatriot Heart Shaker, a mighty tan colored griffon.  
  
The Griffon put its head under Mirotai, helping him up, understanding that they both would both die tonight. He climbed into the special designed saddle on the back of the Griffon, and softly kicked the sides of the mighty beast and they were off into the sky.  
  
He was tired and could feel himself getting weaker, but he delved deep inside himself, into his spiritual energy, into his elemental powers of fire and readied himself for the dragon.  
  
The griffon flew upwards in the sky and out of the clouds the dragon came, somehow expecting them. They soared towards each other, the griffon screeching and the dragon roaring. The dragon let out its ice breath and Mirotai shot out his hand, a flame strong enough to old back the ice breath came flying out. They continued to get closer both ice breath and flame dieing out. He pulled out one of the long daggers, and steadied himself with one foot on the stirrup and the other on the saddle ready to jump and attack Ahrik.  
  
They came close enough and he jumped, he soared through the air closer and closer without one reaction from Ahrik. None until he started laughing, which is when he felt his life thread violently snapped. He was paralyzed in the air and couldn't move at all as he slowly felt life leave him. He was able to see his griffon, its head snapped off falling to the ground, its body falling, still pumping blood, it raining on the ground below.  
  
He soon saw darkness as he fell, but forever on, he heard the laughter of the Black Knight. 


End file.
